2017 Acceptances

[Dr. Old Bill]

3 minutes ago, KTF87 said:

 

@Wyatt's Terps, I am not sure it is about patience, as far i am concerned of course!
for me, it's about the ambivalence and confusion, and remaining in the "i don't know what's going" phase that is draining and overwhelming. I can wait for months if they can just give a frame of what's to come, even with some caveat. I can be as patient as they want me to be in this case, but otherwise I am not sure patience is relevant

 

Where's the ambivalence and confusion? When you boil it all down, it's a case of them letting you know when they're ready to let you know. It really is as simple as that.

Ph.D. programs are making around a $100,000 investment (on average) in their acceptances...and I'm not even considering waived tuition and travel stipends in that approximation. You can rest assured that they have to be well-considered decisions from an institutional standpoint, and that simply has to be their first consideration...especially in a day and age where funding for our very field is rapidly dwindling.

If this were a situation where you have no idea if they will ever let you know about acceptance / waitlist / rejection, that would be one thing...but that's simply not the case. You know that they HAVE to inform you by April 15th (with a few minor exceptions), so that is the frame that you're yearning for, and it already exists. In other words, it really does come down to being patient and respecting the process.

I'm not going to say any more on this topic, as I'm frankly a little annoyed that this isn't just common sense. I recognize that emotions are running high right now, but be that as it may, I don't like this implication that programs need to kowtow and be utterly transparent about every facet of their process to their applicants. It's way too much to expect, and simply doesn't factor in the sheer enormity of the job admissions personnel have to do.

[Yanaka]

Naaaaaaaaaaaw @Wyatt's Terps don't be mad :'( 

[engphiledu]

6 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

It's way too much to expect, and simply doesn't factor in the sheer enormity of the job admissions personnel have to do.

Out of upvotes, but I concur. I've been blessed to have acceptances this early this admission season, but for MA programs, I know I waited until at least late February to have received any good news at all. My husband waited until late March to hear anything for his MA applications.

I think someone else mentioned that there are many times we are asked to wait, especially in academia. I just waited six months to receive a rejection from a publication. Others have to wait even longer, and imagine if you are trying to get tenure.

By no means am I or @Wyatt's Terps trying to invalidate anyone's feelings or shut people down. It's frustrating and horrible to be left in this kind of purgatory. But, admissions committees are composed of the same type of people you admire - professors who have too many responsibilities as it is, but who take an investment in the future of their department. 

It's only been since December for many of us that the first deadline was due (or late November). I promise, the majority of our programs will notify by late February or early March. But, if they receive calls and emails from applicants, it will just slow the process down.

Again, not trying to ruffle feathers, and I know some of you are just joking about making calls, but please just wait for the process to take the time it needs.

Much love --

[KTF87]

8 minutes ago, engphiledu said:

Out of upvotes, but I concur. I've been blessed to have acceptances this early this admission season, but for MA programs, I know I waited until at least late February to have received any good news at all. My husband waited until late March to hear anything for his MA applications.

I think someone else mentioned that there are many times we are asked to wait, especially in academia. I just waited six months to receive a rejection from a publication. Others have to wait even longer, and imagine if you are trying to get tenure.

By no means am I or @Wyatt's Terps trying to invalidate anyone's feelings or shut people down. It's frustrating and horrible to be left in this kind of purgatory. But, admissions committees are composed of the same type of people you admire - professors who have too many responsibilities as it is, but who take an investment in the future of their department. 

It's only been since December for many of us that the first deadline was due (or late November). I promise, the majority of our programs will notify by late February or early March. But, if they receive calls and emails from applicants, it will just slow the process down.

Again, not trying to ruffle feathers, and I know some of you are just joking about making calls, but please just wait for the process to take the time it needs.

Much love --

much love to the both of you and all others!!
<3 <3 - is there no heart emoji?

[engphiledu]

3 minutes ago, KTF87 said:

much love to the both of you and all others!!
<3 <3 - is there no heart emoji?

Haha! I guess not! That seems like a necessary emoji to have!

[Yanaka]

There was bound to be a tiny smatter of tension, some time during the process! Love to everybody, and let's try and keep our minds off all of this  

[MadihaG]

I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE MICHIGAN STATE UNI`S PHD ENGLISH PROGRAM YESTERDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE beyond ecstatic. there are a couple of professors at MSU`s english that I`d love to work with. The second acceptance of the season. They say they cant offer any funding at the moment but they have put me on a waitlist for funding

does anyone here have an idea how the funding process works? What are my chances of getting the funding? im an international applicant and dont know much about the way things work at north american unis.

I`d really appreciate if someone could please respond to my query .

 

PS: is there any thread for NYU`s near eastern studies masters 2017 applicants around here, please??

 

and good luck everyone with the application process. May the odds be ever in your favor

 

 Applied: Cornell, Upenn, Brown, Indiana Uni Bloomington, King`s College London, MSU, Warwick UK, NYU

Accepted : King`s, MSU

Rejected: 

Waitlisted: 

[KTF87]

14 minutes ago, MadihaG said:

I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE MICHIGAN STATE UNI`S PHD ENGLISH PROGRAM YESTERDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE beyond ecstatic. there are a couple of professors at MSU`s english that I`d love to work with. The second acceptance of the season. They say they cant offer any funding at the moment but they have put me on a waitlist for funding

does anyone here have an idea how the funding process works? What are my chances of getting the funding? im an international applicant and dont know much about the way things work at north american unis.

I`d really appreciate if someone could please respond to my query .

 

PS: is there any thread for NYU`s near eastern studies masters 2017 applicants around here, please??

 

and good luck everyone with the application process. May the odds be ever in your favor

 

 Applied: Cornell, Upenn, Brown, Indiana Uni Bloomington, King`s College London, MSU, Warwick UK, NYU

Accepted : King`s, MSU

Rejected: 

Waitlisted: 

holy crap!! that's f****** aweome!! congrats!!!!!!!
i have no idea how it is when it comes to MA funding (im an international student applyin for a PhD, but I can tell you it's about availability and waitlisting - maybe someone will reject their spot and their money will be yours!) I am not sure at all though, but fingers crossed that this would be the case!!!!!!!!

congrats again and keep the faith!

 

 

[what-the-what]

Lurker slinking out of the shadows with a question ... anyone here one of the people accepted to NCSU's Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media (CRDM) PhD? If so, have you heard anything else from them beyond the generic application portal letter - funding, visit, any details at all?

[brontebitch]

59 minutes ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Ph.D. programs are making around a $100,000 investment (on average) in their acceptances...and I'm not even considering waived tuition and travel stipends in that approximation. You can rest assured that they have to be well-considered decisions from an institutional standpoint, and that simply has to be their first consideration...especially in a day and age where funding for our very field is rapidly dwindling.

Totally agree. That's what I keep telling people in my life: as much as these rejections suck, they have to make hard choices because there is a lot at stake. Thanks for pointing this out! I know it's not something I immediately thought of when I was working on applications. 

[Warelin]

1 hour ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

Where's the ambivalence and confusion? When you boil it all down, it's a case of them letting you know when they're ready to let you know. It really is as simple as that.

Ph.D. programs are making around a $100,000 investment (on average) in their acceptances...and I'm not even considering waived tuition and travel stipends in that approximation. You can rest assured that they have to be well-considered decisions from an institutional standpoint, and that simply has to be their first consideration...especially in a day and age where funding for our very field is rapidly dwindling.

If this were a situation where you have no idea if they will ever let you know about acceptance / waitlist / rejection, that would be one thing...but that's simply not the case. You know that they HAVE to inform you by April 15th (with a few minor exceptions), so that is the frame that you're yearning for, and it already exists. In other words, it really does come down to being patient and respecting the process.

I'm not going to say any more on this topic, as I'm frankly a little annoyed that this isn't just common sense. I recognize that emotions are running high right now, but be that as it may, I don't like this implication that programs need to kowtow and be utterly transparent about every facet of their process to their applicants. It's way too much to expect, and simply doesn't factor in the sheer enormity of the job admissions personnel have to do.

I think it's also important to note that the admissions committee also has responsibilities: In addition to being on the committee, other responsibilities may include: preparing lectures for class(es), grading essays, meeting with students outside class for help, develop new classes, supervise and evaluate graduate student teaching, evaluating teaching by colleagues up for tenure, attend department colloquia, write letters of recommendation for students on jobs, graduate schools, scholarships, and other programs, supervise graduate student research, read and evaluate Ph.D oral examinations, write grant proposals, monitor spending from grants, write papers for publication, read scholarly journals to stay current, edit academic journals,  participate in faculty meetings and committees, respond to information requests from college administrators, give public lectures, participate in or host faculty searches, give presentations to promote university, supervise independent studies or master's theses, guide student research. This is not an exhaustive list and they may be raising a family or have other family obligations in addition to this.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Warelin

[allywally]

3 minutes ago, Warelin said:

I think it's also important to note that the admissions committee also has responsibilities: In addition to being on the committee, other responsibilities may include: preparing lectures for class(es), grading essays, meeting with students outside class for help, develop new classes, supervise and evaluate graduate student teaching, evaluating teaching by colleagues up for tenure, attend department colloquia, write letters of recommendation for students on jobs, graduate schools, scholarships, and other programs, supervise graduate student research, read and evaluate Ph.D oral examinations, write grant proposals, monitor spending from grants, write papers for publication, read scholarly journals to stay current, edit academic journals,  participate in faculty meetings and committees, respond to information requests from college administrators, give public lectures, participate in or host faculty searches, give presentations to promote university, supervise independent studies or master's theses, guide student research. This is not an exhaustive list and they may be raising a family or have other family obligations in addition to this.

Yepp! My dad is in charge of the graduate education for his department (neuroscience/biochemistry) and its a lot. Not only do they have all these responsibilities, but the application process involves pleasing a lot of professors with strong personalities and differing opinions. And they don't even have 300 writing samples to read...

[piers_plowman]

Being on the adcom is considered by many profs to be the lowest of all possible grunt work. A DGS told me recently it's by far his least favorite committee. Think about it: you read through hundreds of apps, 95% of which you have to eventually reject and will never see again. Almost all your labor is negative, keeping things out rather than nurturing things already in. And, as others have said, they're not professionals. Undergrad admissions are a tight ship, with designated coordinators, recruitment officers, readers, even whole buildings at most schools. This is different, the always-already overworked department itself taking on extra work during one of the busiest times of the year (MLA, start of spring semester, etc.).

 

So just keep in mind that perspective: what for us is the end-all be-all is for them a minor but onerous chore. By that light the attention we do get is very kind.

[MadihaG]

Just now, KTF87 said:

holy crap!! that's f****** aweome!! congrats!!!!!!!
i have no idea how it is when it comes to MA funding (im an international student applyin for a PhD, but I can tell you it's about availability and waitlisting - maybe someone will reject their spot and their money will be yours!) I am not sure at all though, but fingers crossed that this would be the case!!!!!!!!

congrats again and keep the faith!

 

 

Thank you i just hope things work out. 

And good luck to you too.

 

PS: I am also a PHD applicant . The only masters program I applied to is NYU`s Near Eastern studies. 

[orphic_mel528]

All right, who got into Fordham?

[FeetInTheSky]

56 minutes ago, piers_plowman said:

And, as others have said, they're not professionals. Undergrad admissions are a tight ship, with designated coordinators, recruitment officers, readers, even whole buildings at most schools. This is different, the always-already overworked department itself taking on extra work one of the busiest times of the year (MLA, start of spring semester, etc.).

I just want to underscore this point with some concrete detail:

I currently work in undergraduate admissions. This year, I have about 500 applications assigned to me. I've been reading them since November and finished last week. 

The thing about these applications, though, is that none of them contain twenty-page writing samples. The Common App essay is 600 words and can be read by a normal person in a few minutes (if you don't totally space out while reading yet another story about a kid who got cut from her soccer team). I also don't have classes to teach or research to conduct. I also don't need to think about whether certain faculty can mentor the students in admitting, or if they're prepared for a TAship, or any of that stuff. The nuance isn't really there. If a student is qualified, we say yes. That's it. 

I have a staff of fifty students who I need to supervise, and that takes about 25% of my day. 

So I basically have 5-6 hours a day for four months to read 500 very short applications, and I still get stressed by the deadline. I cannot imagine how graduate adcoms process 200-300 applications that are probably at least eight to ten times as long, while also juggling departmental budget and political issues, while also also, you know, being a college professor. 

[RydraWong]

Not sure where the best place to put this was but I just declined a funded Literary Studies MA offer from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It's a great program but I have some funded PhD offers at this point so I didn't want to keep them hanging. Best of luck to anyone who is on the waitlist for admission or funding!

[ProfessionalNerd]

3 minutes ago, RydraWong said:

Not sure where the best place to put this was but I just declined a funded Literary Studies MA offer from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It's a great program but I have some funded PhD offers at this point so I didn't want to keep them hanging. Best of luck to anyone who is on the waitlist for admission or funding!

It might make sense to start a "Waitlist Movement" thread or something. Is that a normal thing to do on the grad cafe? 

[CrunchyMamademic]

This forum is seriously a great source of joy -- congratulations to all who have received good news over the last few days!

For those of you still waiting for some news, hang in there. As others have said before me, the professors on the admissions committee must be insanely busy. But there is going to be an end to the suffering eventually.  While I was waiting and attempting not to obsess, I started stalking the CFP board on UPenn and drafting some proposals. Of course, that leads to its own form of anxiety, as I was waiting on PhD programs and a response about my anthology chapter... 

[FeetInTheSky]

48 minutes ago, RydraWong said:

Not sure where the best place to put this was but I just declined a funded Literary Studies MA offer from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It's a great program but I have some funded PhD offers at this point so I didn't want to keep them hanging. Best of luck to anyone who is on the waitlist for admission or funding!

As a person on that waitlist, I thank you! They said I'm number one on the list, so I really hope that in the MA program that lit funding can slide over to rhet/comp!

[tvethiopia]

heads up to any of the UMass Amherst folks who got that interview email before the actual acceptance: it looks like the online portal has been updated with acceptance info! log in and ease your worried mind!

[KikiDelivery]

I got into CU-Boulder's English PhD program! I want to cry, the amount of choices is getting overwhelming and I just feel so validated. 

[Straparlare]

Congratulations @KikiDelivery! I just finished by BA there. It's a really great school and campus

[JessicaLange]

I tried to post this like six times yesterday, but it wasn't working. I was accepted into Fordham's MA program. I applied for the PhD so that's kind of a bummer but....I received full funding and a stipend for two years! Which is way better than my last MA acceptance which gave no guaranteed funding.

[orphic_mel528]

14 minutes ago, KikiDelivery said:

I got into CU-Boulder's English PhD program! I want to cry, the amount of choices is getting overwhelming and I just feel so validated. 

Congratulations! One of my dearest friends is in her first year of that program and she loves it. 

18 minutes ago, tvethiopia said:

heads up to any of the UMass Amherst folks who got that interview email before the actual acceptance: it looks like the online portal has been updated with acceptance info! log in and ease your worried mind!

I saw this morning and it was like balm to my soul; I was so afraid that someone was going to be like, "Oops, we sent that out on accident!" 

Meanwhile, I'm seeing all kinds of wait listing from Fordham and no PhD acceptances. Out of curiosity, do they wait list their cohort until they have an idea of available funding and then take them off the wait list? I did a search for trends in years past and didn't really find anything.